Darkness Falls
by Drafonis
Summary: Completely AU TinT. Tenchi moves to Tokyo, where he meets someone who will change his life. And who's the villain? Could it be...? You'll have to read to find out! On temporary hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: Fading Past!

**Darkness Falls**

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything _Tenchi in Tokyo/Shin Tenchi Muyo! _related.

Claimer: All original characters, however, are my own, and I ask that you ask before using them.

A/N: This is a completely AU version of TinT/STM! The only details kept from the series is that Tenchi goes to Tokyo and the existence of Sakuya. All characters are supposed to be IC for the TinT storyline; if they are not, please tell me.

This story will be pro-Sakuya, and will contain parts that might be considered "anti-Ryoko" - while Ryoko is not my least favorite character, she's far from my favorite.

Summary: Tenchi moves to Tokyo, where he meets someone who will change his life. And who's the villain? Could it be…? You'll have to read to find out! (AU TinT storyline)

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_Legends tell of a shadow realm, in which the very fabric of time is altered to suit the needs of whoever controls it. This sometimes creates realms parallel to our own. But what if the shadow realm converges with this one?_

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Episode 1 - Fading Past!

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"Everyone, breakfast!" came the voice of an energetic girl with blue hair tied into pigtails. Her name was Sasami, the youngest princess of the planet Jurai. "Good morning, Ryoko-oneechan, oneechan!"

"Good morning, Sasami." Replied the second of the addressed women, one with purple hair pulled back. This was the elder princess, Ayeka.

The third, a space pirate with long, gray-blue hair named Ryoko, simply nodded to acknowledge Sasami's greeting. She had gotten used to waking up early, but that did _not _mean she liked to.

"Now where is Tenchi-niichan? Is he sleeping in late?" Sasami asked.

"Tenchi-sama said something about some things he has to take care of before… Did he say 'before jumping off a cliff!'" Ayeka exclaimed.

"I don't remember Tenchi saying anything of the sort, Miss Air-for-Brains." Ryoko stated tantalizingly, as though chastising the princess for coming up with such a strange guess as to what Tenchi was planning to do. Of course, she had a point; Tenchi had no reason to jump off a cliff.

_"What did you say? And how dare you use that… that condensing tone on me, the First Princess of Jurai? Take that back, you… you witch!"_

"Please, stop! Not first thing in the morning!" yelled Sasami, but, as usual, her request went unheeded.

"I'll talk however I want to whoever I want, demon spawn!" Ryoko responded.

"Take that back!" Ayeka yelled, her hand drawn into a punch. Unfortunately for a certain black-haired boy who lived there, he walked right in the middle of the punch while half-awake.

"Yah!" Tenchi exclaimed, as the force of Ayeka's punch sent him flying into Ryoko, landing in the space pirate's lap. Needless to say, Ayeka was furious as this development.

"What… _What are you doing, you low-class space pirate bimbo?"_

"It's simple. There are three facts that are important in this situation. First, _you _punched _Tenchi_. Second, he landed on my lap. Third, you just blew your chance!" Ryoko yelled.

"She has a point, Ayeka." Came a new voice. It was Washu, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Scientist in the Universe", a woman with long red hair.

"Anyway, everyone, what do you say to a photo once Kiyone, Mihoshi, Grandfather, and Father wake up?" Tenchi asked.

"Why a photo?" Sasami asked.

"I can't explain yet; I don't know the details. Grandfather understands better." Tenchi replied. "But, from what I understand, I won't be here for long."

_"What?" _all the girls, including Kiyone and Mihoshi, the Galaxy Police detectives. Kiyone had long, straight blue hair and a pale skin tone, while Mihoshi had her blond hair in a ponytail and a tanned skin tone.

"Te-e-enchi! Is this true? Are you leaving us?" Ryoko asked.

"I'm afraid so." Tenchi replied, a look of resignation on his face. He knew that this would be difficult to explain. Everyone would have trouble accepting this, the first of many hardships the coming year would produce.

"But - but _why?_ Don't - Don't you like us?" Sasami asked; she was on the verge of crying.

"Sasami-chan, of course I like everyone here. But I have obligations to fulfill. Grandfather, you know this situation better than me, can you explain?" For Tenchi's grandfather had arrived, his long gray hair pulled into a ponytail as usual.

"Certainly, Tenchi. As I'm sure you are aware, Tenchi will inherit the shrine when he comes of age. However, there are certain… requirements, which he has not met. I cannot say a lot, because he could figure out what his job is, and that would not work. However, he must learn how to use his sword, that is one fact I must reveal." Tenchi's grandfather replied. "Tenchi will be leaving tomorrow for Tokyo."

"Well, let's get the picture done." At this, everyone walked outside, by a lake near the Masaki Shrine. Tenchi quickly placed the camera, an old-fashioned one on a stand, by the shore. Then, he set up the shot, pressed the button to take the shot, and sprinted to his position.

The positioning on the photo was: in the back, Ayeka, Ryoko, Washu. In the second row was Kiyone and Mihoshi. In the first was Sasami, Tenchi, and his grandfather.

"Tenchi-sama, when are you leaving exactly?" Ayeka asked.

"My train leaves at thirteen-hundred." Tenchi replied.

"Do you _have _to go, Tenchi-oniisan?" Sasami asked quietly.

"Yes. Otherwise I can't… I need to go out for some fresh air." He said, before running off into the forest.

---

Meanwhile, another villain was emerging. This was born from a combination of everyone's darker side. At the moment, it was just mere shadow floating behind a black waterfall.

"Kage, arrive." Boomed a terrible voice from the shadow. Instantly, a figure arrived in front of the shadow - Kage. He was a human-shaped shadow. Other than his shape, the only visible human feature was a face - two glowing eyes, and a red-colored mouth. This mouth was perpetually open, threatening to swallow anyone who threatened its owner.

"You called, Master?" the monstrosity named Kage asked, his voice strangely high-pitched.

"It seems a member of the foul Masaki clan is going to learn his family's style. This must be prevented. Send one of the Elite to destroy the Technique Bearer. He is in… Tokyo."

"Yes, Master." And Kage vanished, just as quickly as he came.

"There is another in Tokyo… I must ensure that the boy does not meet her. That would make Seven." The shadow said.

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"I'll call everyone when I arrive at my apartment!" Tenchi hollered, before stepping onto the train, an express train from Okayama to Tokyo. Immediately after he got on, the train started moving. _"So, this is where it ends, hmm?" _he thought.

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"No, please!" came screams from the Takuya Dojo. The first of the shadow's Elite, Te, was performing his assault. This being looked strange - one finger for the body, thin, spindly legs, and huge, muscular arms with red boxing gloves.

One of the students, a black-haired one dressed in a white martial arts uniform, charged Te, his hand drawn back to punch the monster, who quickly threw a punch that sent the boy flying into a wall.

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"Something's wrong, I can feel it…" Tenchi muttered. "I'll stop by Takuya-sensei's dojo before going to my apartment…"

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"Take this!" the owner of the Takuya Dojo, Takuya Hitsu, shouted. His shortly-cut black hair flew behind him slightly as he charged Te, the Elite. Hitsu's hand was pulled back…

But Te quickly backhanded Hitsu into the wall. "Don't make me laugh. That will do nothing to me."

"Ten… chi…" Hitsu gasped out, before losing consciousness.

"Master, Te reporting. Taken care of. Retreating." And with this phrase, Te vanished.

---

"Ah, man… I hate being lost…" Tenchi muttered. He had arrived in Tokyo three hours, but could find neither Takuya Dojo or his apartment. There were few people outside; most were at school, at work, or at home. But that was when he noticed someone he had overlooked - a girl with short black hair and sideburns, wearing a white tee-shirt and red shorts.

Tenchi moved to ask her directions, but she walked off, and he did not feel confident to walk up to her and ask for directions, even though she did seem to, just barely, spot him.

"Just my luck… The only person around here has to be afraid to talk to me…" he muttered.

"Something's attacked the Takuya Dojo!" someone yelled, a boy dressed in a red martial arts uniform. He ran right in front of Tenchi…

Who grabbed the boy by the shirt. "And Takuya-sensei?" he asked.

"He's in trouble. The attacker's gone, but Takuya-sensei's in bad shape." The boy replied.

"Right. Can you take the there?"

"Sure." The boy ran off, and Tenchi followed him.

---

"What happened here?" Tenchi asked. They had arrived at the dojo, which was in shambles. Hitsu had been having a belt test prior to Te's attack, and the damage was horrible. The chairs that the dan-ranked students sat while watching the color belts test were overturned from people getting knocked into them. There was a cracked mirror in the far end of the dojo, further evidence of the struggle. Several students were unconscious, the rest were weakly crawling about, trying to get some semblance of order into their beloved dojo.

"It… it…" one of the crawling students stammered out, before losing consciousness.

"Something… strange… attacked the dojo." The boy who had led Tenchi said.

"Strange? What do you mean?" Tenchi asked.

"I don't know; Takuya-sensei said something was coming and asked for me to get help, and to tell someone named Masaki Tenchi about this situation."

"That's me."

"Ah, hello, Masaki-san. I am Fuu Himatsu. I'll get the ambulance here to get Takuya-sensei back to health. You'd better go to your apartment; I expect your friends back home are worried sick about you."

"Wait, Fuu-san… How do you know about that? Grandfather didn't tell Takuya-sensei about them…"

"There is little I don't know about you, Masaki-san. Anyway, do you know where your apartment is?"

"No, sorry."

"It's just down the street from here, then take a left at the second corner. It's the second building on the right. Oh, and one more thing. There'll be someone new arriving in your life tomorrow. Get to know her; it will be the only way to stop the evil."

"What…" Tenchi began, but Himatsu was gone, as though he never existed.

---

"Hello, everyone? It's Tenchi." Tenchi said into the telephone. He had arrived at his apartment, a second-floor one. Straight ahead from the entrance was his bedroom, while a left turn would take one to the bathroom and kitchen.

"Tenchi-oniisan! It's Sasami. Hang on, I'll put you on speaker so the others can talk."

There was a brief pause and then came two voices saying "Tenchi/Tenchi-sama!"

"How's Tokyo, Tenchi-sama?" Ayeka asked.

"Something's strange is going on here. Takuya-sensei's in the hospital with injuries from what looks like a boxer, and one of his students knows about you guys." Tenchi replied.

"I'll be right over, Tenchi!" Ryoko.

"No, stay there, all of you. I'll call if anything happens. Anyway, I think that whatever's going on here is too small at the moment. I can handle it on my own."

"But, Tenchi-dono, something bad could be happening." Washu replied.

"Washu-san, I know, but there's no danger to me yet."

"Okay. Tenchi-kun, if you need anything, give us a call." Kiyone replied. "In the meantime, I'll monitor Tokyo closely."

"Okay. Anyway, I start class tomorrow, so I won't be home for most of the day." Tenchi said.

"Tenchi, I do _not _want to here that you're flirting with the girls there! You're _mine!_" Ryoko shouted.

"What do you mean, _yours_? Can't you see that Tenchi-sama and I are perfect for each other?" Ayeka shouted.

"Why, you…" Came Ayeka's voice, followed by the sound of crashes and explosions, which Tenchi deducted to be the two women fighting.

"Please, you two, don't fight!" Sasami exclaimed, but her request went unheeded by the pair.

"Well, bye!" Tenchi exclaimed, hanging up the telephone. "Now I'd better get my notebook ready for tomorrow…"

---

Meanwhile, at the Masaki Shrine, Ryoko and Ayeka had taken a few moments out of their bout to argue about who Tenchi loves. Washu, realizing that Tenchi was no longer on the other end of the line, was trying frantically to calm the pair down enough to tell them that Tenchi had hung up without having them explode with fury at being "abandoned" by Tenchi.

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It was the next day, and Tenchi was finally at his school. He was at the front of the class, being introduced.

"Class, this is Masaki Tenchi, from the Masaki Shrine in Okayama. Please be nice to him." Tenchi's teacher monotonously said. He often had to do this, so it wasn't anything new.

"Hello. I am Masaki Tenchi. I hope that this will be a great year." Tenchi stated, somewhat less flatly but with as much boredom as his teacher had displayed.

"Take a seat anywhere, Masaki."

"Yes, sir." With this, Tenchi began walking down the aisles. Some students were clearly not wanting to deal with the new boy from the Shinto shrine, others were uncaring… But then he spotted someone he had wanted to talk to - the black-haired girl he saw while looking for Takuya Dojo. "Hello, is it okay if I sit here?"

"Sure, Masaki-kun." She replied. "I'm Kumashiro Sakuya, by the way."

"Was that you I saw by the café yesterday?"

"Yes. Sorry for running, but I had to rush home to get something."

"Masaki, Kumashiro, it's nice that you're getting acquainted, but this is class! Talk on your free time!" the teacher yelled.

"Y-yes, sensei!" the two exclaimed in fear.

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Next time on Darkness Falls, Tenchi gets into even more dangerous situations as the shadow's army continues their plan… And what exactly _is _their plan, anyway? Join us for the next chapter of Darkness Falls - Episode 2: Emerging Future!

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A/N: I hope I haven't bored anyone with my random ramblings. Anyway, before I get the usual flames that I noticed happen to those who write pro-Sakuya fanfiction, those flames will be ignored except to UserBlock the flamer.

Anyway, don't be certain that I am using the verb "falls", there are other possible definitions.


	2. Chapter 2: Emerging Future!

**Darkness Falls**

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Chapter 2 - Emerging Future!

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Several days had passed since Tenchi arrived in Tokyo, and he and Sakuya had become friends. The sky was sunny, its light shining on the large grounds of the high school in Tokyo.

"Masaki-kun!" came Sakuya's voice from the stairs entering the school. Masaki Tenchi, currently dressed in his school uniform of a white long-sleeved shirt, red necktie, and black pants, ran up to the black-haired girl.

"Kumashiro-san. How was your day so far?" Tenchi asked the girl in front of him. It has halfway through the day at the time. But his conversation with Sakuya was cut short as people started screaming. Tenchi's face hardened. "Kumashiro-san, stay here. I have to handle this." With this, the boy took off in the direction of the screams… Where he saw a finger with thick arms, boxing gloves, and spindly legs. Te.

"So, the Masaki boy has revealed himself. Time to follow Master's orders." Te said, a maniacal tone in his voice. He sunk into a standard boxing stance - hands raised to protect his head, one leg back, knees bent.

Tenchi, on the other hand, did not enter a stance, but just charged straight forward. His charge was short-lived, however, as Te backhanded him into a wall. "So, I heard from Takuya-sensei that his attacker was strong, but not this strong." He muttered, brushing off the dust from impacting the wall. "But his evil ends now!"

At this, Tenchi broke into another charge, which was brushed away just as quickly when Te dodged Tenchi's punch and hit the Jurain prince with an uppercut to the stomach. "It's over, Masaki!" Te yelled, for Tenchi was clearly showing signs of weakening after the hit.

"No… I must protect… Everyone!" Tenchi yelled, as he kicked at the monster. His kick was blocked, and, a second later, was on top of a car six feet away. Te charged at the boy, and began pounding the human into the pavement until Tenchi's face was a bloody pulp, but the monster boxer was suddenly shot in the shoulder by a police officer who had arrived. Realizing that he was caught, Te began speaking in his usual, emotionless voice.

"Master, this is Te. Mission failed. Target is injured, but a negative interruption has arrived." And with this, he vanished.

"What the… I get paid way too little for this job…" the police officer muttered, not realizing that he had just thwarted a plot that affected all of humanity.

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"Kage, arrive." The shadow behind the waterfall called. Instantly, Kage appeared, his eyes the only thing visible in this world of shadow.

"You have called, Master?" Kage asked, his voice tinged with a hint of fear. His master was angry, and being in his master's presence while the latter was angry was considered a death sentence. His master made allowances to Kage because of his record, but even the most patient of people have their limits.

"You mean that your monster was thwarted by a mortal being?" the shadow asked, its voice edged with malice.

"I am afraid so. When I created Te, I gave him the ability to judge the situation. He judged that a human with a handgun could threaten the plan. So he fled."

"You must be punished for your creation's mistake, Kage." At this, a ball of shadow surrounded by sparks appeared in front of its eyes. The ball flew at Kage, enveloping the man-shaped shadow and electrocuting him. "Now go, and do not fail me again."

"Y-yes, Master." And Kage vanished.

---

"I knew we should have gone to help Tenchi-sama!" Ayeka exclaimed. "Now he's going to die!"

"Relax, Ayeka. I think there is only a fifteen percent chance that Tenchi-dono will lose his life from the wounds." Washu replied. "And I think my calculations have merit; I being the greatest scientific genius in the universe."

"But we're dealing with human doctors!"

---

"Tenchi-kun…" Sakuya muttered, as she sat in his hospital room. She had been there all night, watching to make sure he was okay. Her mind drifted to right before the fight, when Tenchi told her to stay where she was while he fought the thing. She admired his courage, even if that had been reckless.

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"That's it, I can't wait any longer! I'm going to Tokyo to check up on Tenchi." Ryoko said.

With that, Ryoko took off into the air, Ayeka shouting for her to come back. But the space pirate ignored her, choosing instead to continue her lonely flight to Tenchi… And Sakuya.

"Oh… I'm going after her! Azaka, Kamidake! We're going after Ryoko!" Ayeka yelled, and her faithful logs came to help her.

"Yes, Princess Ayeka!" they exclaimed, and created an electric field around her, beginning the long flight to Tokyo.

---

"Kumashiro-san!" Tenchi yelled, as he regained consciousness. He saw that it was night, and that Sakuya had been sleeping on a chair next to his bed when he shouted. This alarmed him; he feared he had awoken the sleeping girl. But she seemed to be a deep sleeper, so he just smiled at the ceiling slightly.

_"It sure feels different, to be around a girl who isn't overly powerful and clingy - like Ryoko or Ayeka. And… What is this feeling? No, I can't let myself get any closer to Kumashiro-san, for her own good. If I do, and Ayeka or Ryoko hears about it, she's in big trouble." _Tenchi thought.

"Tenchi-kun?" Sakuya asked; she had finally woken after his yell. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Kumashiro-san. Just a nightmare…" he muttered quietly, a hint of tenderness in his voice.

_"I'm not falling for her, just trying to calm her after a rough experience… She's not used to all this…" _ he said to himself.

"Oh… Anyway, Tenchi, how are you? That boxer guy hurt you pretty badly…" Sakuya questioned.

"I'm fine. I've taken much, much worse."

"Ah… Anyway, how is your family? I never saw them, even on the days we studied together."

"That's because they're not in Tokyo. Mother… Well, Mother died. My grandfather is the head of the shrine. Father would have inherited it, but he is too sinful for that." At this, both Tenchi and Sakuya started laughing.

"You seem to have an… interesting family, Tenchi-kun."

"There's also my friends who live with me - Ryoko, Ayeka, Washu, Sasami, Kiyone, and Mihoshi. I can't tell you much due to a promise I gave them, but let's just say life at home is…"

But what life at home is, Tenchi never got to say, for Ryoko had barged in, expecting to find Tenchi unconscious, cry on him, have him awaken, and sweep him off his feet with her charm, only to find him, in a dark room, talking to a girl she didn't even know.

"Who is this… this…" Ryoko yelled, too furious for words.

"It's… it's not what you think! Kumashiro-san's a friend from school!"

"Don't… don't try that, Tenchi-kun! Am I not good enough?" Ryoko yelled, and Tenchi was getting nervous; it seemed like the space pirate was mad enough to hit Sakuya.

"I had no such thoughts, Ryoko! I was just protecting her from the thing that hurt me, and she came to make sure I was fine!"

"So my Tenchi got hurt because of that bimbo? I'll kill her!"

"Your Tenchi?" Ayeka had come as well.

---

A/N: Well, things sure don't look to good for Tenchi, eh? Sorry for the delay, little inspiration, since I hadn't seen anything Tenchi-related in a long time. Anyway, sorry if it seemed random - I'm trying to end the Te arc quickly so that I can get to the more interesting parts. If you want to guess what is going to happen, examine closely the part where Ryoko barged in as Tenchi was talking to Sakuya about his life in the country - particularly where Tenchi starts to get nervous.


	3. Chapter 3: Wheels!

**Darkness Falls**

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Chapter 3: Wheels!

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"So my Tenchi got hurt because of that bimbo? I'll kill her!" Ryoko yelled, fury in her voice.

"Your Tenchi?" Ayeka replied, having just arrived on the scene.

Tenchi rose to his feet, wincing slightly from his wounds, but stood nonetheless. "Both of you stop! I am not your property…" he said, first forcefully, but then backed off. "Sorry… It's been a bad day, that's all… Go back to Okayama, you two."

"Do you… Know these two, Tenchi-kun?" Sakuya asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Yes, I regret to say. They're normally not like this… Scratch that, they're always like this!"

This was met with a glare from Ryoko and Ayeka. Neither appreciated the tone Tenchi had used to describe them, but they had no choice; they left the room.

With them gone, Tenchi turned to face Sakuya. "I'm sorry, but I need some time alone. Whatever did this is strong; I need to be stronger." He said, a serious, almost cold, tone in his voice.

"Okay. I'll be back in a few hours to check up on you, and I'll have a bento box with me." After saying that, Sakuya left, and Tenchi crossed his legs, his eyes closing.

With that done, he began a steady, rhythmic chant under his breath. A blue aura, invisible to the untrained eye, surrounded his form, as he began to tunnel into the astral plane, so that he could train without hurting his muscles; it was doubtful the doctors would let him leave to train.

When he finished entering the astral plane, he found that Takuya Hitsu was already there.

"Takuya-sensei." He said, bowing.

"Tenchi. I trust you know that something is wrong in Tokyo." Hitsu said.

"Yes. I'm projecting from the hospital. I was attacked."

That news caused Takuya to plaster a nervous expression on his face. From what Katsuhito told him, Tenchi was a powerful fighter. "I have to train you rapidly. While more training can be accomplished in a day on the astral plane than the physical, time is short. Demons are going to attack; the world will require you at your best."

"I understand, sensei. And I have a question. Who attacked me?"

"I do not know. Tell me; when you were attacked, who was with you?"

"Kumashiro Sakuya."

This confused Takuya; it was clear that the attack had been provoked by that fact, but he could not sense anything strange about the girl. "_This rules out the possibility of a direct link… But what about the Prophecy of Seven?" _Takuya thought nervously.

"The Prophecy of Seven, hmm? Perhaps…" he muttered.

"The Prophecy of Seven?"

"No time; it doesn't matter, not until I figure out what the situation is. Now, defend!"

At this, Hitsu whipped out a bokken from his belt and slashed at Tenchi, who jumped out of the way, using the astral plane's varying physics to help him.

The astral plane had one peculiarity – while many could interact on it, each person had his own laws there. One person might make the astral plane pull him with tremendous force, while another might choose the zero gravity approach.

It was also possible to change the person's laws on the fly.

After his evasive maneuver, Tenchi whipped his own sword out and entered a stance. His feet were held one in front of the other, and the blade held at a forty-five degree angle to his body. He swung his sword, but Takuya blocked effortlessly, countering with a stab, which Tenchi dodged.

"Stop. Not bad, Tenchi. But you need more fluidity in your moves, like this." At this, Takuya quickly flowed into three quick slashes, stopping an inch from Tenchi's head each time. "Now, focus on the person you are most desperate to protect."

This provided Tenchi with quite a dilemma. Who _was_ he most desperate to protect? He had so people he loved, but with each it was a different kind of love. But someone kept coming into his mind. What did that mean? Did he care for her more than the other people in his life? How, when he had met her three days ago?

"You aren't focusing, Tenchi!" Takuya yelled, snapping him out of his reverie. To avoid inciting the sensei's wrath, Tenchi settled on focusing on Sakuya, unaware of what that seemingly careless gesture set in motion. Once the wheels of fate are set in motion, nothing can stop them, short of destroying the planet.

By focusing on Sakuya, the Seventh requirement for the prophecy, Tenchi had created something that could not be combated by any human. Before the end of the summer, Tenchi would experience many things.

"Good. Now, focus on the energy you are building up, and release it. You will unlock the Masaki bloodline."

As instructed, Tenchi focused on the energy that had built up from the desperate desire to protect her. The aura that formed was terrifying to behold, visible even in the physical plane, as a speck of light. And for the shadows, this light was unbearable.

"Kage, it seems Masaki has unlocked his bloodline." The shadow said, back in his world.

"Is that so, Master? Where is he?" Kage asked, his face contorted into a rare emotion for him – confusion.

"He's on the astral plane somewhere. Find him, and destroy his mind."

"Yes, Master."

The astral plane revealed any intruder that would enter their private area, so Tenchi and Takuya were well prepared for Kage's arrival. But that might not prove advantageous.

"Ah, Masaki; and the Technique Bearer, too. Together in the astral plane; together to die." Kage said, chuckling at the thought.

Tenchi and Takuya entered a battle stance, ready to fight Kage, who now began to shoot black blobs at the two. They quickly maneuvered out of the way of the shadow's blasts, dodging the blasts that they could and blocking the rest.

"You won't win, Monster!" Tenchi exclaimed, as he moved in for the kill. But Kage was fast, and managed to go behind the boy, then spin, sending him flying into…

His body. It seemed the training session would be over, for now.

After Tenchi's disappearance, Kage also left. But Takuya stayed, deep in thought. The shadow-man had seemed different, somehow, than most other fighters.

"I'd better inform Katsuhito… The Prophecy of Seven has begun…" Takuya muttered, before leaving the astral plane.

"Tenchi-kun?" came Sakuya's voice from the doorway. Several hours had passed since the astral fight. As promised, Sakuya had brought lunch for the Shinto priest-in-training, although she had no idea how much he needed it.

Tenchi smiled slightly, the memory of the Unlocking Ceremony still deeply engraved in his mind. He could tell that choosing Sakuya as the subject for his focus during the ceremony had some significance. The strength of the aura was just too great to be a plain coincidence. Besides, living with six alien girls had taught him that little in this life was a coincidence.

"Thank you, Kumashiro-san." Tenchi said, bowing formally.

This caused Sakuya to giggle. "There's no need to be so formal, Tenchi-kun."

"Now who's being formal?"

They began laughing, but Tenchi's injuries came back, causing him to wince slightly. He tried to hide the pain, but Sakuya happened to notice it.

"Are you all right, Tenchi-kun?"

Tenchi only nodded slightly, a pained smile on his face. Whatever happens, he decided, would be faced strictly.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I was lost on how to handle the beginning conversation. And I apologize for the strange situations in this chapter, but I had to establish the idea of the Prophecy of Seven (that explains the leader villain's comment about someone – Sakuya – making seven.


End file.
